British Open to return to Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2028

Spain's Sergio Garcia was among the golfers who participated in the 2012 British Open, the last time the tournament was held at Royal Lytham & St Annes. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI

April 27 (UPI) -- The British Open will be held at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club for the first time since 2012 with a 2028 return, tournament officials announced Monday.

Golfers will return to the course from Aug. 3 to 6, 2028, on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England. The tournament will be held at the Old Course at St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, in 2027.

This year's 154th British Open will be held July 16 to 19 at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.

"Royal Lytham & St Annes is widely renowned as one of the world's finest links courses and has witnessed many great championship moments since the Open was first played there in 1926 when the legendary Bobby Jones won," R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said in a news release.

Ernie Els won the Claret Jug the last time the tournament was held at Royal Lytham & St Annes. David Duval (2001) and Tom Lehman (1996) were among the other most recent British Open champions at the course.

Georgia Hall won the Women's British Open at the course in 2018. That tournament will return this year, with competitors facing off July 29 to Aug. 2 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

"This is one of golf's most cherished and historic venues and the Open's return to these famous links will spark huge interest among fans to be part of one of the world's great sporting events and celebrate the rich traditions of golf's original championship," Darbon said.

"We are grateful to the members of Royal Lytham & St Annes and the local authorities for their support in making this happen. We look forward to enjoying another fantastic championship on England's golf coast in 2028."

The 2028 British Open will be held at a later date than its typical slot so it doesn't conflict with the Olympic tournament, which will be held at Riviera County Club.

The men's Olympic tournament is scheduled July 19 to 22 at the Pacific Pacific Palisades, Calif. The mixed team tournament will be held July 23 and 24. The women's tournament will be held July 26 to 29 at Riviera.

"We are honored to be chosen as the host venue for the 156th Open in 2028," said Tim Walker, chairman of council at Royal Lytham & St Annes. "The club has a long and successful association with the Open, and we take great pride in our place within the championship's history.